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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · degree · bound · cell · mate · staff · bark · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — a phone
  4. staff — a stick
  5. charge — in control
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. club — for golf
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cell — in biology
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — to shout
  16. club — for dancing
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mate — to breed
  19. club — a group
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com